Duck Eating Challenge

[lokidog]

The problem with ducks is that they all taste like duck........   YUCK!

 

They are definitely not a grouse, quail, or pheasant.

Hopefully the Buffleheads aren't "fishy" since they don't eat fish.     Scoters, Goldeneye, and Oldsquaw eat snails and clams, but not fish either.

wa_archer, you remind me of back in the 80's when I fist hunted the west coast.  In the beginning of the season, I whacked a few tasty Widgeon.  After the second week of the season, the Widgeon tasted like crap and I quit shooting them.  I figured the eelgrass diet was messing them up.   

[Curly]

I couldn't count the number of ducks that we used to pass up on back when I used to duck hunt all the time in the 80's and early 90's.  We always passed on goldeneye, bluebills, mergs, etc.  We only shot pintail, teal, gadwall, woodies, mallard, and widgeon.  Just what my dad taught us.  He had a name (that I can't type here because it would be censored) for all diving ducks. 

It's funny because most of the divers eat basically the same things as the puddlers, they just dive to get to their food.  It's really just the fish eaters (mergansers) that we should have been passing up. 

The other funny part is that my dad refused to eat any duck.  My mom would cook up duck for the family and make a separate meal for my dad.  I guess we should have been shooting the other ducks as well since he didn't even eat them. 

[CP]

I had bluebill livers and eggs for breakfast this morning – fried in butter and garlic - delicious 

[northwesthunter84]

I pan seared some bufflehead and common merg breasts tonight. Yoshidas marinade for 2 hours. Bacon grease, onion, and garlic. 3 min per side. Tasted really good, wife even asked me to get a few more. I also tried it with a little goat cheese on a hunch. Gonna use that for bacon wraps next time.

[lokidog]

Were the mergs out of fresh or saltwater?  I'm curious as it seems more people shooting them on freshwater are saying yuck.  I've not noticed much difference.

[sakoshooter]

Were the mergs out of fresh or saltwater?  I'm curious as it seems more people shooting them on freshwater are saying yuck.  I've not noticed much difference.

I think between natural migration instincts, weather and water levels - both fresh and salt - these birds travel between fresh and salt water as needed. I think it'd be darn hard to pin down a particular area that any given duck sticks with. 

[northwesthunter84]

The merg was off the canal so salt, and it was a common. I will say this, it smelled just as clean as the two mallards I cleaned that day.  Also my wife and I did agree the legs had a finish similar to a fresh salmon sushi. Nothing bad or strong flavor wise but it was there.

[lokidog]

The merg was off the canal so salt, and it was a common. I will say this, it smelled just as clean as the two mallards I cleaned that day.  Also my wife and I did agree the legs had a finish similar to a fresh salmon sushi. Nothing bad or strong flavor wise but it was there.